Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Inovio Biomedical unveils new clinical-grade, miniaturized electroporation device

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, today unveiled its new clinical-grade, miniaturized electroporation device designed to be an easy-to-use, portable delivery product for DNA vaccines.

28 Jan 2010

NIH to perform exploratory studies on ImmuneRegen BioSciences' Homspera

ImmuneRegen BioSciences Inc.®, a wholly owned subsidiary of IR Biosciences Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: IRBS), today announced the execution of an agreement with the National Institute of Health (NIH) / National Cancer Institute (NCI) to commence studies utilizing ImmuneRegen's Homspera.

28 Jan 2010

NewsRx publishes new encyclopedia on vaccines

NewsRx, a 25-year-old publisher and international news organization headquartered in Atlanta, has published a new encyclopedia on vaccines -- Encyclopedia of Vaccines, 2009: An encyK Resource for Parents, Patients & Professionals.

28 Jan 2010

WHO addresses handling of H1N1 at Council of Europe meeting

During a Council of Europe meeting on Tuesday to address the WHO's handling of the H1N1 virus, the WHO said it had not "fallen under the sway of drugs firms and exaggerated the dangers of the H1N1 flu virus, but said it might have handled the crisis better," Reuters reports.

27 Jan 2010

Juvaris BioTherapeutics completes second close on its Series B equity financing

Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing adjuvanted vaccines for infectious diseases, announced that it has completed a second close on its Series B equity financing of up to $25 million. The additional equity investment came from an undisclosed strategic corporate investor who joins SV Life Sciences and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in the round.

27 Jan 2010

New research project aims at understanding the genetic origins of childhood cancers

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, today announced an unprecedented effort to identify the genetic changes that give rise to some of the world's deadliest childhood cancers.

27 Jan 2010

MBL generates human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A type influenza virus

Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. (MBL), with the collaboration of Osaka University, has successfully generated several fully human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A (H1N1 and H3N2) type influenza virus by utilizing blood samples from volunteers who were inoculated with influenza vaccine.

27 Jan 2010

WHO rejects accusations it mishandled H1N1, updates worldwide stats

WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl on Monday rejected accusations that the organization miscategorized H1N1 (swine flu) as a pandemic, calling such accusations "irresponsible," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "WHO also dismissed claims it colluded with drug companies to bring economic benefit to the industry by playing up the danger of the new H1N1 [swine flu] influenza strain," the news service writes.

27 Jan 2010

Data from GenVec's trial in esophageal cancer showcased at 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium

GenVec, Inc. announced today that data from the Company's trial in esophageal cancer were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium in Orlando, Florida on January 22, 2010.

22 Jan 2010

BioTech Medics begins creating TV and radio commercials for SHBAN Alcohol Free Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer

BioTech Medics, Inc. announced today that they have begun the pre-production stage of creating two minute, sixty second and thirty second direct response TV and radio commercials for nationwide distribution for its proprietary SHBAN™ Alcohol Free Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer.

22 Jan 2010

Current research suggests flu may predispose to secondary bacterial infections

Current research suggests that the flu may predispose to secondary bacterial infections, which account for a significant proportion of mortality during flu pandemics. The related report by Lee et al, "A mouse model of lethal synergism between influenza virus and Haemophilus influenzae," appears in the February 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

22 Jan 2010

New study concerning the severity of H1N1 influenza published in CMAJ

A new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/cmaj.091884 concerning the severity of H1N1 influenza has found that admissions to an intensive care unit (ICU) were associated with a longer interval between symptom onset and treatment with antivirals and with presence of an underlying medical condition.

22 Jan 2010

Clorox urges organizations to equip with flu prevention educational tools to prevent virus spread

Seasonal flu activity typically peaks in January or later, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the flu virus can spread as late as May. On top of the rising seasonal flu activity, this season the 2009 H1N1 virus is also circulating. Organizations – and particularly mass transportation systems where many people pass through daily – need to be ready to combat and help prevent the further spread of both flu viruses this winter and spring.

22 Jan 2010

BC Centre for Disease Control launches influenza genome sequencing project

The BC Centre for Disease Control has launched an influenza genome sequencing project to better understand how the pandemic H1N1 flu virus has evolved in British Columbia, and may continue to evolve in the coming months.

22 Jan 2010

Ordinary face masks and hand hygiene can reduce transmission of influenza-like illness

Ordinary face masks and hand hygiene can effectively reduce the transmission of influenza-like illness during flu season. The finding comes from a new study, now available online (http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/650396), published in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

22 Jan 2010

Meridian Bioscience announces record first-quarter net sales of $42.5M

Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 were $42,457,000 as compared to $34,293,000 for the same period of the prior fiscal year, an increase of 24%. Net earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 were $8,921,000 or $0.22 per diluted share, both increases of 10% over the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Diluted common shares outstanding for fiscal 2010 and 2009 were 41,185,000 and 41,125,000, respectively.

21 Jan 2010

UnitedHealth Group announces its revenues and net earnings in 2009

UnitedHealth Group today reported growth in revenues and net earnings per share in 2009. The Company earned $0.81 per share in the fourth quarter, bringing full year 2009 net earnings to $3.24 per share.

21 Jan 2010

Sinovac Biotech announces financial update, new joint ventures and developments

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (SVA) ("Sinovac" or the "Company"), a leading China-based vaccine manufacturer, today announced the following recent developments.

21 Jan 2010

SVA plans to sell 8,650,000 common shares in an underwritten public offering

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. ( SVA), a leading China-based vaccine manufacturer, today announced that it plans to sell, subject to market and other conditions, 8,650,000 common shares of the company in an underwritten public offering.

21 Jan 2010

WHO, CDC issue H1N1 updates

Though H1N1 (swine flu) activity worldwide has slowed, the potential of a new wave of infections in the northern hemisphere in late winter or early spring remains viable, Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's top flu expert, said Monday at the start of the WHO's weeklong executive board meeting, Reuters reports.

19 Jan 2010